At a time when women did not have much say in many matters, especially when it came to relationships and marriage, Gulzar made a film called 'Khushboo' in 1975. This multi-starrer film had veteran stars like Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Sarika, Sharmila Tagore, and Farida Jalal. 'Khushboo' was Gulzar's sixth film as a director and it brilliantly depicted a 'strong woman' and her ability to love.
Farida Jalal, who has been active in cinema since the 1970s, has worked in many films. Sometimes as the heroine's friend and sometimes as a mother or sister, she has charmed people with her roles. In her decades-long career, she has worked with big filmmakers. She has also worked with Gulzar. The film 'Khushboo' was released in 1975. She played the character of 'Manno' in this Hindi drama film. Recently, she talked about the film and told how Gulzar was insisting on giving up all kinds of glamour on the set.
During 'The Ashok Pandit Show', Farida Jalal talked about working with Gulzar. She said, "I am lucky that I worked with him." She also narrated a funny incident from the sets of the film. "On the first day of the shoot, I reached the set with a great hairstyle. Seeing me, Gulzar Sahab called me and said, Farida, come here… I went and said- Yes bhai. He said, 'If you look like this, what will I say to Hema ji?' Farida, this role is different, go remove this wig and wear a braid. You have to wear a simple braid."
Farida admitted she was angry because she wanted to look as glamorous as everyone else. But then she agreed to change her hairstyle. When she came back with a ponytail, he said, "Yeh hui na baat. Kaam dikhana hai, yeh sab nahi dikhana aapko (You need to showcase your talent, not your looks)."
Farida Jalal further revealed that it was Gulzar who made her realise her true potential. She said, "There was one scene where my husband dies, and he said, ‘In this, you have to scream and cry. You wanted to be a serious actor, now show me what you’re made of’. He made me do that in one shot, then he told Sanjeev Kumar about it. I met Sanjeev Kumar on a different film’s set, and he told me, ‘Suna hai bada acha shot kiya, murda bhi rone laga (I heard you gave such a nice shot that even the dead character teared up)'."
Farida Jalal also remembered Gulzar’s advice before they shot a song sequence in Goa. "He came into my room and said, ‘Aaj aapka gaana hai, Mumtaz mat ban jaana, extra phool aur yeh woh. Log tareef karte hain ke aap dialogue naturally bolti hain, waise hi gaana karna hai (Today you have a song. Don’t turn into Mumtaz with extra glamour and embellishments. People praise you for delivering dialogues naturally, so sing the same way)," she recalled Gulzar telling her.
On the work front, Farida Jalal was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s web series 'Heeramandi'.
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