Shekhar Suman has gone down memory lane, retracing the unique chain of events that led to his big break at Utsav, not just the opposite. Rekha but also cemented his lifelong gratitude Shashi Kapoor.In a recent interview, Suman described her journey as something “written in a script”, with fate charting her path long before she realized it.
‘Life is like a script… don’t try to open the pages’
Reflecting on destiny, Suman told Red FM, “Life is like a script. As you go on, one page after another will be opened. But God’s strict advice is: don’t try to open the pages. First of all, it won’t end, and if you do, you are going against nature.”He added that attempts to predict the future are also futile. “People ask astrologers what will happen. Nothing, only what God has destined will happen. It is already written.”
Start: torn suit, 100 rupees and a lost car
Long before Utsav, Suman was a theater actress in Delhi when she was spotted by actor Shammi for a cameo in Pighalta Aasman. He was offered Rs 1000, Rs 100 as a signing amount, an amount he remembers vividly.After that, however, it was a lesson in patience. “They told me that a car would come in three days. I waited in my only suit, because I fell off the motorcycle with a scratch on the back. I patched it because I couldn’t afford a new one,” he recalled.The car never came until it suddenly arrived a few days later. “I lost hope, thinking ‘Bombay people make big promises’. Then one day an ambassador came and called me.”
Turning Point: Meeting Shashi Kapoor
Suman’s life when she landed in Mumbai and met Shashi Kapoor on a film set. What started as a casual interaction soon turned into an impossible choice.“He told me about a film we were making—Utsav. Rekha was the hero. Then, suddenly, he asked me: ‘Would you do the hero’s?’ I literally fell off my chair,” said Suman.The role, however, came with a condition: he had to pass a screen test with director Girish Karnad and, crucially, be approved by Rekha.
5,000 candidates, a role and a final yes
At RK Studios, Suman realized the scale of the competition. “There were about 5,000 guys, all saying they were for the same role. I thought I had no chance,” he admitted.After the screen test, he was told it was “99% in”; the last 1% depended on Rekha’s approval.Wait the emergency days came. “Every day I sat in the Prithvi Theatre, waiting for him. One day he came, looked me up and down and walked in. That was my test.”The next day, Kapoor broke the life-changing news: Rekha said yes.Suman’s reaction was nothing short of cinematic. “I ran barefoot through the streets and alleyways to tell my sister. She was giddy with excitement,” she said.That moment, in his opinion, defined the eternal journey.
“I owe my entire existence to Shashi Kapoor”
Looking back, Suman has no doubts about the man who made everything possible.“Today, whoever I am — my existence, my life — I owe to a man named Shashi Kapoor. I bow down. If he hadn’t chosen me, I don’t think I would be sitting here today,” he said.He also credited Rekha and Girish Karnad for their support, but said Kapoor’s belief in him was the turning point.
Working with Rekha: “She helped me tremendously”
Despite being a newcomer, Suman shared screen space with one of the biggest stars of the era. His first shot with Rekha was a hug, something that made him nervous at first.“He said, ‘He’s new, how is he so sure?’ But he helped me tremendously throughout the shoot. He was very professional, very cooperative, no anger at all”, he recalled.For Suman, her journey from a struggling theater actor in a tattered suit to directing a major film opposite Rekha was not just about talent, it was about time, faith and destiny.“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said.
