3 min readNew DelhiJun 29, 2026 07:14 PM IST
Today’s stars are often praised for their professionalism, punctuality, and disciplined work ethic. However, the same couldn’t always be said about some of Bollywood’s biggest names from the golden era. Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore, who shared the screen with legends like Sanjeev Kumar and Shatrughan Sinha, has never shied away from speaking about their chronic habit of arriving late on set.
In a recent conversation with Mojo Story, Sharmila recalled how punctuality was a rare virtue for some of her co-stars.
“We would be ready with our makeup and costumes by 9:30, and they would walk in around 11. Shatrughan Sinha would come whenever he wanted to,” she said.
Sharmila Tagore contrasted their behaviour with Amitabh Bachchan’s impeccable discipline. “Raj Khosla was directing Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha. Amitabh would arrive exactly on time. If the shift was from 7 to 2, he’d be there at 7. If it was from 2 to 10, he’d be there at 2. Shatru would come at whatever time he pleased. Amitabh’s car would be leaving just as Shatru’s car was arriving. Poor Raj Khosla lost all his hair,” she quipped.
When asked whether she ever confronted her co-stars over their tardiness, Sharmila admitted there was little point.
“There was no point talking to them,” she said with a hint of sarcasm, adding, “These poor things were just conditioned to be like that. They needed other things than just accepting what I am telling them.”
She also recalled a memorable confrontation with Sanjeev Kumar, affectionately known as Haribhai, during the shooting of Mausam, where she played a sex worker.
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“I was very fond of Haribhai. It was my first few days of shooting for Mausam. I was very keyed up. For a 2 pm shift, he would walk in around 8 pm. I screamed at him and said all kinds of things. It went on for about an hour. He just kept rubbing his ear and calmly speaking to his secretary. He wasn’t bothered at all,” she said.
Eventually, director Gulzar stepped in and requested that they at least shoot one scene.
“We agreed. There was no problem with him. He let me give the shot, but I was the one doing retake after retake. That’s when I realised there was no point being angry with this man. I was only affecting my own performance.”
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Following the heated exchange, the two continued working together on several films but barely spoke to each other. That changed after Sharmila Tagore watched Sanjeev Kumar’s performance in Aandhi.
“I went to his room, knocked on the door and said, ‘Haribhai, you are an awful and despicable person. But you are a damn good actor. So let’s shake hands and make a good film.’ Nobody could change him, so I might as well accept it,” she concluded.
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