Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has revealed that Hema Malini wasn’t his first choice for the 1972 film Seeta Aur Geeta, which still remains one of the most classic Hindi films. In a recent interaction, Ramesh Sippy revealed that he originally wanted to cast Mumtaz as Seeta and Geeta.
In his conversation with Arbaaz Khan on Bollywood Bubble, Sippy shared, “I had worked with her in Andaaz and she was very much into it so you like people who want to be a part of the film. When we decided to make it, it felt like Mumtaz would probably the right person at that time. She had too many commitments and I didn’t want to wait.”
When Sippy came up with Hema Malini’s name, the film writers Salim-Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) weren’t convinced of her talent. Explaining further, Sippy said, “So, I asked Hema and Salim-Javed asked me, ‘Are you sure? Does she have that in her personality to play Geeta because Seeta’s role is still okay?’” Ramesh Sippy had directed his debut film Andaz in 1971, starring Hema Malini and Rajesh Khanna. Apart from Andaz and Seeta Aur Geeta, Sippy collaborated with Hema in his iconic film Sholay.
Salim-Javed had penned scripts for several blockbuster movies. These included Sholay, Zanjeer, Deewar and Don to name a few. Their association lasted until 1982, when both decided to split after which Javed moved into writing lyrics.
Recently, veteran actress Shabana Azmi addressed the topic of the duo’s split while appearing on Salim Khan’s son, actor Arbaaz Khan’s talk show, The Invincibles. “Salim-Javed was at the peak of their career,” Arbaaz recalled. “Till today, I do not know why Salim-Javed split up. I thought it was a personal decision I shouldn’t get involved in it,” Shabana, wife of Javed Akhtar, responded.
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