Dharmendra and Shabana in a scene from the movie. (Courtesy: Twitter)
After Dharmendra and Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi shared her thoughts on the on-screen kiss with Dharmendra in Karan Johar's directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The film released in theatres last Friday and ever since its release, the on-screen kiss between the two veteran actors has become the talk of the town. Asked about the kiss, Shabana Azmi told Zoom in a recent interview, "I never thought it would create such a fuss! People are laughing and cheering when we do the kiss. While shooting it was never an issue. It is true that I haven't kissed much on screen before. But who wouldn't want to kiss a man as handsome as Dharmendra?"
Asked about the reaction of her husband and veteran-lyricist Javed Akhtar to the scene, Shabana Azmi told Zoom, "Oh he was not bothered. But what bothered him was my rowdy behaviour. Throughout the film I was applauding, whistling, cheering and shouting. He was like, 'I don't know this woman sitting next to me.' I went insane with excitement."
Shabana Azmi also said that she has been receiving overwhelming messages from many people since the film released. This is the first time she has worked with Karan Johar. Praising the director's vision, Shabana Azmi said, "It's a completely new experience for me. The kind of enthusiastic messages I am getting about my role, the film is being appreciated by sections who normally look down on commercial cinema. This is the first time I've been in a Karan Johar film. The amount of subtext the normally snooty sections of Indians are reading into Karan's film is nothing short of astonishing."
A day before Karan Johar addressed this kiss during his conversation with film critic Anupama Chopra for one of the sessions of Film Companion. Asked if he took time to convince Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi for the scene, Karan Johar said to Anupama Chopra, "Shabanaji (Azmi) is a trooper. She's a master actor. She's a "baap" actor as they say. There's no debate, no question. Dharam ji was like, 'haan theek hai karna hai, fine'. (It was) two great veterans, performing with absolute aplomb, no questions asked. It was glorious to see them."
Dharmendra also talked to News 18 to share his thoughts about the kiss. He said, "I am hearing that Shabana and I have surprised the audience with the kissing scene, and at the same time they have even applauded it. I think people weren't expecting it and it came very suddenly which is why it created an impact. The last time I did a kissing scene was in Life In A Metro with Nafisa Ali and at that time too people had appreciated it."
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani marks Karan Johar's return to the director's seat after seven years of his last film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh have re-kindled their on-screen romance in the movie after Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy.