‘He should have taken consent’: Biswajeet’s daughter on the kiss that left Rekha in tears

Actor Pallavi Chatterjee has reacted to the controversial kissing scene involving her father, veteran actor Biswajeet, and Rekha during the filming of Anjana Safar. The incident was detailed in Yasser Usman’s biography Rekha: The Untold Story, which claimed that the then-15-year-old Rekha was kissed without prior knowledge during a shoot, leaving her distressed.

Speaking to journalist Vickey Lalwani, Pallavi said she believes the episode would have been “traumatic for any young girl” and added that her father should have either refused to perform the scene or obtained Rekha’s consent beforehand.

She, however, suggested that directors in that era sometimes withheld information from actors to capture spontaneous reactions on camera.

“There were directors who would tell one actor about a scene but would not fully inform the other person because they wanted a particular reaction on camera. I feel that if an incident like this happened, where someone was kissing another person for several minutes in front of the entire unit, it could not have happened without the director’s approval. Perhaps the director had said, ‘This is the shot I want.’ In those days, on-screen kissing was neither common nor widely accepted.”

Pallavi Chatterjee said Rekha’s age would have made the experience even more traumatic.

She said, “She was very young then. If something like this happens to you without warning, what are you supposed to do? When you are young and something inappropriate is happening, you often feel awkward even about speaking up. Those times were very different. If a much bigger star was doing something like that, what could you really do?”

The actor also revealed that the two families shared a close bond at the time.

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“Rekha used to come to our house and we played together as children. Our families were very close and we visited each other’s homes. Perhaps it was even more traumatic for her because there was a family connection. You think of someone as part of your extended family and then something like this happens.”

‘My father should have obtained Rekha’s consent’

While defending her father’s overall conduct towards women, Pallavi Chatterjee maintained that she did not believe he was solely responsible for what happened.

Pallavi said, “My father worked with many women throughout his career and nothing like this was ever reported. He always had great respect for women. If a woman entered a room, he would stand up to greet her. I don’t think it was just my father involved in what happened.”

She added, “I personally feel someone must have told him, ‘Do this, I need this kind of footage.’ Otherwise, there have been so many successful films where nothing of this sort ever happened.”

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At the same time, Pallavi was unequivocal that the incident was wrong.

“It was definitely wrong. It was not right, whether it was done by my father or by anyone else. He should have either refused to do it or obtained Rekha’s consent first. She was not prepared for it, and obviously it would have been shocking for a 15- or 16-year-old girl.”

Pallavi also noted that Rekha later worked with Biswajeet again.

“Rekha worked with my father again after that incident in Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja ,” she said.

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What happened during Anjana Safar?

The incident was detailed in Yasser Usman’s biography Rekha: The Untold Story. The film was originally meant to be Rekha’s debut, although Sawan Bhadon eventually released first. At the time of filming, Rekha was around 15 years old while Biswajeet was 32.

According to the biography, a romantic scene was being filmed at Mumbai’s Mahboob Studio when director Raja Nawathe allegedly planned to capture Rekha’s genuine surprise on camera. The book claims that Rekha was not informed beforehand that a kissing scene would take place.

“As soon as the director said ‘action’, Biswajeet took Rekha in his arms and pressed his lips on hers. Rekha was stunned. This kiss had never been mentioned to her. The camera kept rolling; neither was the director ordering ‘cut’ nor was Biswajeet letting go of her,” the book states.

The biography claims the kiss continued for nearly five minutes while members of the unit whistled and cheered. Rekha was reportedly left in tears.

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“Her eyes were tightly shut but they were full of tears,” the excerpt reads.

Biswajeet later said the idea came from director Raja Nawathe, who wanted to capture Rekha’s “surprised” expression. The veteran actor maintained that he was following the director’s instructions.

“It was not for my enjoyment, but important for the film. Rekha felt betrayed and was furious,” Biswajeet reportedly said.

Anjana Safar remained stuck with the Censor Board for nearly a decade and was eventually released in 1979 under the title Do Shikaari. By then, Rekha, Vinod Khanna and Amjad Khan had all become major stars. Despite its cast, the film failed at the box office.

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Disclaimer: This article discusses sensitive allegations of inappropriate conduct and emotional distress. While this content provides an account of past events, it does not constitute an endorsement of the behaviors described.