It’s one of the trivia from the making of the 1980 movie Chambal Ki Kassam that has resurfaced and left people laughing and nodding simultaneously. In an earlier episode of The Kapil Sharma Show, veteran actor Ranjeet said that during a shoot along a riverbank where the entire cast was staying, Raaj Kumar jokingly told his co-star Moushumi Chatterjee, “Why don’t you shoot a scene of us bathing in the river? “Moushumi, naturally apprehensive, replied that she did not know how to swim. Raaj Kumar attempted to comfort her by saying that “Jaani, I will be with you. Why do you worry?’’ in his charismatic style.
When Moushumi was still overwhelmed, she came up to Raaj Kumar with a very witty answer: ‘‘If your wig falls off in the water, who will you save?” The one-liner, spoken humorously, could dispel tension. But far from causing embarrassment, the unit is said to have burst out laughing, and Raaj Kumar, instead of being offended, took Moushumi’s humour very sportingly.
Beyond the humour, the anecdote gives us a peek into the old world of Hindi cinema, where actors were expected to do all kinds of daring scenes without those scenes’ existence in the script, and oftentimes, consent and on-set comfort used to take back seats quietly behind the scenes. Moushumi’s refusal was bold, especially in a time when actresses often had less agency over such decisions.
Raaj Kumar was a Hindi Cinema legend, famous for his rich baritone, active dramatic delivery, and imposing an undefeated aura on screen. He exuded a presence that made even quirky and dull moments feel like they belonged on the screen. On the other hand, Moushumi Chatterjee, elegant and ethical, has had a career (both in Hindi and Bengali films) defined by vulnerability, grace, and nuanced acts. Apart from Chambal Ki Kassam, Kumar and Chatterjee also paired in a movie named Jung Baaz (1989).
