Neena Gupta shared a throwback picture from the sets of the film Utsav. The film also featured Rekha, Amjad Khan, Anuradha Patel and Shekhar Suman. However, the picture shared by Neena Gupta features Shankar Nag, who was a popular name in the Kannada industry. Sharing a film still, the Bollywood actress wrote in her Instagram caption: "A still from a beautiful film Utsav with Shankar Nag miss you so much. Shankar bohat jaldi chhod gaye tum hamen." In her memoir, Neena Gupta recalled the first time she met the actor-director-producer. "In 1984, I met Shankar Nag for the first time on the sets of Utsav, a period film based on the Sanskrit film Má¹›cchakatika (The Little Clay Cart) by Sudraka," she wrote in her memoir Sach Kahun Toh.
See Neena Gupta's post here:
In her memoir, Neena Gupta, writing about her bond with the actor, stated that the Girish Karnad-directed film involved a few intimate scenes with Shankar Nag. Referring to the scenes, she wrote: "Our interactions before the scene had been cordial but not very friendly. But after the scene, we sort of became more comfortable around each other. I guess the awkwardness of doing a lovemaking scene with someone you have only just met can sometimes be the starts of a beautiful friendship."
She summed up her equation with the late actor in these words: "Shankar Nag and I were dear, dear friends. He was a wonderful human being. He was very famous but he never put on any airs in front of his friends. He was a 'yaaron ka yaar'. He never discriminated between friends who were famous and struggling even though he was such a successful person himself."
Shankar Nag died at the age of 35 in 1990. His impressive filmography included directing and acting in the popular series Malgudi Days, based on RK Narayan's short stories. He was known for his works in films like Ondanondu Kaladalli, Geetha, Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige, Accident, Minchina Ota, among many others.