Veteran actress Anita Kanwal recently opened up about knowing Shah Rukh Khan since his Delhi theatre days, helping casting people connect with him during his struggling years, and the harsh realities faced by character actors in the entertainment industry today.In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Anita also spoke about the changing culture of Bollywood, and why reaching out to big stars and filmmakers is no longer easy.
Anita Kanwal recalls working in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
Speaking about Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Anita recalled playing Deepak Tijori’s mother in the film despite being only in her mid-30s at the time.“Haan, woh film cult classic bani. Jab pehle din Deepak ne mujhe dekha toh bola, ‘Yeh kisko le aaye ho mother bana ke? She doesn’t look like a mother.’ I was some 35-36 years old,” she said.The actress further revealed that the film underwent changes after Deewana became a massive hit during the shoot of the film.“But woh cult film bani aur bilkul pata nahi tha kyunki us waqt Shah Rukh ki koi bhi film release nahi hui thi. Beech mein Deewana release hui thi jab humari shooting chal rahi thi aur woh bahut badi hit ho gayi thi.“Toh jitne bhi Shah Rukh ke motorcycle scenes the woh aur badha diye editing mein. Humare scenes cut kar diye. Main dekh rahi hoon yaar mera scene tha Shah Rukh ke saath woh kahan gaya? Bole woh motorcycle wala. Maine kaha mujhe hi bitha dete motorcycle pe uske saath toh mera scene toh na katta,” Anita joked.
‘I told people Shah Rukh Khan had a lot of promise’
Anita shared that she knew Shah Rukh from his theatre days in Delhi, much before he became a superstar.“Shah Rukh ko main Delhi se jaanti hoon theatre days se. Jab woh Fauji aur yeh sab kar rahe the,” she recalled, referring to Fauji.She went on to narrate an interesting incident involving her daughter and Shah Rukh’s phone number.“Meri beti Carmel Convent mein padhti thi aur bachche Shah Rukh Khan ke bahut crazy the. Kisi ne blackboard pe Shah Rukh Khan ka number likh diya tha aur meri beti Shivana diary mein number likh ke le aayi — ‘Mumma I got Shah Rukh Khan number.’”Anita added that during those days, several people from Mumbai who came to Delhi for casting often approached her.“Us time Bombay se jo log casting karne aate the, woh mere paas hi aate the. Maine unko Shah Rukh Khan ka number de diya. Maine kaha, ‘Is ladke mein bahut promise hai. Aap isko contact karo.’”She further revealed that Shah Rukh personally called her to thank her for recommending him.“Toh Shah Rukh ka mujhe phone aaya. He was so decent. He called me up to thank me and then said, ‘How did you get my number?’ Maine kaha meri beti Carmel Convent mein padhti hai. Kehte hain, ‘Oh yes mujhe pata hai kisi ne mera number blackboard pe likh diya tha.’”
Anita Kanwal never asked Shah Rukh Khan for work
When asked why she never reached out to Shah Rukh Khan or big filmmakers for work, Anita admitted that the industry has become extremely inaccessible.“They have built fortresses around themselves. Aap kya samajhte ho? Aap Karan Johar ko mil sakte ho? Aditya Chopra ko mil sakte ho? Nahi.“Un tak pahunchna possible hi nahi hai.”She added, “Kaise koshish karungi? Jaake Shah Rukh ke ghar ke bahar thodi khadi ho jaaungi.“Main kisi ko nahi jaanti jo uske yahaan kaam karta ho ya usko personally jaanta ho. Aur main aapko bataun — shayad unko yaad bhi nahi hoga yeh sab. Humein yaad hai kyunki woh Shah Rukh Khan hai.”
