Shah Rukh Khan was ‘rude, mean' to Kajol during their first meeting on Baazigar sets, Maa actor recalls calling him ‘khadoos': ‘Can you shut up?'

Indian Express

20-06-2025

Actors Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan didn't hit it off instantly during their first film together, Baazigar. In fact, their initial interaction on the set of the 1992 film was anything but pleasant. While Shah Rukh found Kajol to be overly talkative, the Maa actor wished the superstar would open up and interact more. In a recent interview, Kajol recalled her first impression of SRK on the Baazigar set and also spoke about filming a 'sensual' scene with him.
During a conversation with Radio Nasha Official, Kajol shared that everyone was hungover after partying on New Year's, while she was energetic after a good night's sleep. 'First of all, I was not even 18 at that time, around seventeen and a half years old. I was into my books 24/7, so 31st December was like 31st hai, it's okay. We were shooting on January 1, Shah Rukh likes to shoot on that day. Saal ke pehle din shooting karo toh poore saal karte ho,' she said.
The actor continued, 'The whole unit was hungover on January 1 morning. Everybody had a long night, no one slept, everyone came after partying, but Shah Rukh wanted to shoot so everybody was there. I took my 10-hour sleep, I was wide awake and chirpy at 11:30 in the morning. I was sitting and chatting, mujhe chup rehne ki aadat nahi hai. I don't understand the concept of silence too much, especially when there are people around you.'
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Shah Rukh Khan was seated at a distance from Kajol, preparing for the shoot. 'I was talking to the cameraman, my makeup man and hairdresser. I am jabbering away. Meri awaaz bagair mic ke kahan kahan pahuch jaati hai. After a point, I said, 'Ravi dada, yeh kya khadooss actor hai aapka'. Bechara Shah Rukh chashma pehnke apni lines padh raha tha. He was sitting across the table and learning his lines,' she recalled.
Kajol was amused by the silence and went ahead to initiate a conversation with SRK. However, he was in no mood to socialise. 'I sat next to him and said, 'Hi, why aren't you talking? Are you this khadoos every time? You can't be like this!' He said, 'Can you please shut up for a minute? Somebody shut her up, for God's sake. I felt that was so rude and mean. Here I am trying to be nice and friendly. Of course, that led to a great friendship. I don't think he even remembers half of it. He would just say that she was a blur.'
When asked about Shah Rukh pinching her while shooting a 'sensual' scene in Baazigar, she replied, 'Shah Rukh has done a lot of ridiculous things in front of me and likewise, I have too. Saroj ji said that you have to suddenly feel 'aah'. It has to be an expression of sensuality. I was 18 years old, I told her I don't understand. She showed it to me and I couldn't do it. I wasn't getting it. How do I get embarrassed? Sharam aati hai toh kya lagna chahiye?'
The actor added, 'Finally, she told Shah Rukh to pinch her (Kajol) in the shot because the cameras were only in close-up, so that she gives the expression we want. So, that's how we learnt how to give that particular expression.'
On the work front, Kajol is gearing up for her upcoming horror film Maa. The film is set to hit theatres on June 27.