Sharmila Tagore on the sets of Koffee With Karan 8. (courtesy: YouTube)
Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore made her first ever Koffee With Karan appearance in the latest episode. She was accompanied by son and actor Saif Ali Khan. During the episode, Sharmila Tagore briefly talked about her battle with cancer. She talked about it when Karan Johar said that Sharmila Tagore was his first choice for the role of Damini Chatterjee in his latest directorial project Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. In the film, Shabana Azmi played the role that he originally wanted Sharmila Tagore to play. Shabana Azmi featured in headlines for her onscreen kiss with Dharmendra in the film.
"I had offered Sharmila ji the part played by Shabana (Azmi) ji in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She was my very first choice. Due to health reasons at that time, she couldn't say yes. but it is a regret I have," Karan Johar said during the episode.
Sharmila Tagore stated that she wasn't vaccinated then and wanted to be extra careful of her health, especially after her battle with cancer. "This is at the height of Covid. They hadn't really grappled with Covid at that time. They didn't know about the vaccine, we were not vaccinated. You know, (it was) after my cancer. So, they didn't want me to take that risk," Sharmila Tagore said.
Sharmila Tagore, who was launched by the iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray in the 1959 Bengali film Apur Sansar, stepped into Bollywood with the 1964 film Kashmir Ki Kali. She has worked in many successful Bollywood films like Aradhana, Chupke Chupke, Amar Prem among others. Sharmila Tagore married legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in 1969. The couple welcomed son, actor Saif Ali Khan, in 1970, daughter Saba, who is a jewellery designer, in 1976 and actress-author Soha Ali Khan in 1978. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi died after battling a lung infection at the age of 70 in 2011.