Shammi Kapoor's leading ladies share their memories

Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor, who passed away on August 14, has left behind a legacy for all to remember him by. With numerous titles to his name, from the rockstar to the man who packed a solid yahoo, the swinging star was also recognized as a ladies man by his costars.
Shammiji's leading ladies share their memories...

Saira Banu (Junglee, Zameer)
"When I was offered Junglee, I had come down for my holidays from London. At that point, the only heroes I had heard of were Dilip Saab, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. I hadn't watched a single film of Shammi Saab. The first thing we shot was the Yahoo song in Srinagar. I had no idea how to lip sync or react to the music. He was so upset with me. He told me that I was wasting time, and that I should learn acting."

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"It made me so angry that I took it as a challenge to do the song right. It became a cult number. We were offered a lot of films together, which I refused to sign because I was still upset with him. Now I feel I could have done so much more work with him. But we were family friends; Yusuf Saab (Dilip Kumar) and he would speak in Punjabi for hours. I will never forget those moments," added the actress.

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Sharmila Tagore (Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening In Paris)
"He was not like the rest of the Kapoors. He was completely out-of-the-box, and that's what everyone loved about him. When I first heard that I was doing my first Hindi film with Shammi Kapoor, I couldn't really believe my ears. But it is when I started working with him that I realised what a fine actor he was."

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Sharmila went on to say, "On screen his mannerisms and eccentricities would overshadow a lot of other elements, but he was an extremely sensitive performer, you can see that in the song Ishaaron ishaaron mein in Kashmir Ki Kali. That quality of acting comes from theatre, which is where he first began his training."

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Asha Parekh (Dil Deke Dekho, Teesri Manzil, Pagla Kahin Ka, Jawan Mohabbat)
"He was a great person. He loved life and lived it to the utmost. He was a very happy-go-lucky human being. I started my career with him, so there was a very comfortable rapport between us."

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"In fact, I met him a few months back and there was nothing so serious. I think everyone should learn how to value life and live it to the fullest from Shammiji," Asha further added.

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Vyjayantimala (Prince)
The last time I met Shammiji was in Atlanta at an awards function many years ago. I remember his smiling face even when he was on the wheelchair. As an actor, I would say he was very self-involved, trying to master every move. That's what created such a trademark style for him. He would try and outdo himself each time. There was a sequence in Prince where Helen, Shammiji and I had a musical number to perform. It was like three different styles of dance coming together. But even then, he stood out.

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Hema Malini (Andaz)
"I was very scared to work with him because I had heard he was a very boisterous personality. Plus I was very new to the industry, so I was anyway intimidated by many other actors. However, when I met him, I realised how nice and gentle a person he was. In fact, Andaz was one film where he wasn't jumping around; it was a much more controlled performance."

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Remembering the yesteryear rockstar, Hema went on to say, "I still remember the song Dil use do, jo jaan de de where he had to make me dance. I was surprised by how flexible and charming he was when he took to the dance floor. He used to choreograph himself most of the times, and the cameramen would have a tough time trying to capture his moves. It was when he became spiritual that I got very close to his family. His wife and he used to go to a babaji in Nainital and would always invite me.

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Sadhana (Rajkumar, Badtameez)
"I have to confess that initially I was a little apprehensive about working with Shammi Kapoor because I did not know if I would be compatible with him as a co-star. But it was an absolute delight to work with him. He was not just a co-star, but also a friend and a guide."

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Providing an insight into the man he was, Sadhana adde, "The one thing that stood out was his sense of humour. He would make everyone laugh, easing the tension. Not many know this, but he was a voracious reader and he had an excellent library at home. He used to suggest authors and books to me, and sometimes even force me to read stuff. There was and will be no one like him."

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Mumtaz (Bramhachari)
"I did just one film with Shammiji, but we were good family friends. He was a very generous person. But he was also a little short-tempered with people who managed to rub him the wrong way. He had many friends and he loved entertaining people. I think he did not get his due until Pagla Kahin Ka and Bramhachari."

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"I was just 18 when I gave my first shot with him, and even then I could very well gauge what an excellent performer he was. You can never ever compare him with anyone because there will never be another Shammi Kapoor," Mumtaz added.

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Nanda (Premrog)
"In my hey days, I never had a chance to work with Shammi Kapoor. But I remember he had always expressed a desire to act with me someday. Finally, in 1982, Raj Kapoor cast us together in Premrog. Shammi was a very affectionate person. He knew how to treat every heroine and co-actor with dignity, something which today's generation totally lacks."
Coming Up: Bollywood singers talk about the versatile actor

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Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar remembered Shammi Kapoor as a big star, a good human being and a fabulous singer.
"I am very upset after hearing the demise of Shammiji. He was one of the biggest stars of Bollywood, but before that he was an outstanding human being. He was very lively and he was a very strong person. He used to handle difficulty situations very bravely," Lata tweeted.
She also added that the Bollywood legend thought of her as a sister.

Contemporary Bollywood singers talk about the inspirational dancer and his fantastic persona.

Sonu Niigaam sai, "There are too many fabulous songs of Shammiji to think of just one. But at this point in time, when he has left us, Tum mujhe yun bhula na paaoge comes first to my mind. Rafi saab and Shammiji were so in sync with each other - the voice and the face. Rafi saab had Shammi Kapoor and Mukeshji had Raj Kapoor. Shah Rukh Khan was becoming one such face for me at one time, but I'd have loved to have a Shammi Kapoor in my life.
Shammiji was a brilliant actor and the sexiest of that time. Another gem of Shammiji was Dil ke jharokhe mein tujhko bithake from Brahmachari. Shammiji would always be a part of Rafi saab's recordings. He would discuss how he'd act and behave in the song, and that would help Rafi saab record it accordingly.

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Abhijeet Bhattacharya
Although the Mohammed Rafi-Shammi Kapoor combination is memorable, composers back then didn't create music keeping the film or anyone in mind unlike today's times. There was an exception-Shammiji was the only actor for whom music was specifically composed. Deewana hua baadal from and Aaja aaja from are two of my favourite numbers. It's not easy picking up any one because he had brilliant songs in films like Junglee, An Evening in Paris etc. The way he sang difficult songs and qawwalis made me wonder why his singing talent was never tapped. His songs are not just evergreen, but eternally modern.

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Shweta Pandit
Shammiji inspired my music. He was the only actor to be present for the recordings of his songs, since he'd choreograph his own movements. He was also the only actor to give the longest takes for songs, completing the entire mukhda in one take. I'm told that in the O haseena track from Teesri Manzil, he performed the song in one take. And no one could pinpoint any flaw in his performance. While it's difficult to pick any one of his songs, Tum ne mujhe dekha is one of my favourites.

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Sowmya Raoh
Shammiji was different. He was energetic, flamboyant, handsome. He's just let himself go with the songs.
Mention his name and Taareef karun kya uski comes to my mind instantly. The way Shammiji acted and the way Rafi saab rendered it, took it to a different level all together. The way Rafi saab and Shammiji matched was incredible.

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