Anu Aggarwal became an overnight star with Aashiqui, earning the title of Aashiqui Girl. In her brief career, she appeared in films like Saawan Kumar's Khal-Naaikaa. In a chat with Lehren Retro, she shares an anecdote about a scene where she slapped comedian Mehmood. Discover the details from Anu Aggarwal herself.
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00:00After Aashiqui hit, did the criteria of choosing films change?
00:05Did you become a star?
00:07How did you sign films when they came to you?
00:10By listening to the script or by directing?
00:12Yes, I was very surprised at that time
00:20that people's scripts were not ready
00:22when they used to come to me to sign
00:24they had money ready to give
00:26that you take this money and sign it
00:29I used to say that you don't take the money and sign it
00:31I will listen to the script first
00:33where is the script?
00:35The script will be ready, you sign it
00:37This was the way
00:39but because I am already an actor
00:43I want to see what is my role?
00:45What is the story?
00:47How is the story?
00:49My role and then the story
00:51You see, everything is important
00:53When a story becomes a play
00:57not just one person is important
00:59every person is important
01:01So I was like show me the script
01:05No one had the script
01:0798% people didn't have the script
01:11so it got over
01:13After that, all the directors
01:17luckily for me, all these directors
01:19saw me and came to me
01:21that the script is ready
01:23like Rakesh Roshan for King Uncle
01:25They had the script ready
01:27when they came
01:29that this is Fanny's character
01:31I liked her so much
01:33Go on girl, Fanny
01:35Fanny is a drink
01:37I said Fanny is the name
01:39The character was very interesting
01:41and very different from Aashiqui
01:45Mani Ratnam made the character for me
01:49Chandralekha
01:51When she came, she was the underworld queen
01:53She was a totally different character
01:55She used to run with the boys
01:57She was hanging out with the boys
01:59all the time
02:01There was a lot of movement
02:03in the movie
02:05dancing, movement
02:07So she was totally different
02:09but she saw me and made the story
02:11made a role for me
02:13I don't have roles
02:15I wouldn't have done
02:17the normal role
02:19Ranjeet made a film about you
02:21Ranjeet made a film
02:23Ranjeet made a film
02:25It was such a good film
02:27What a beautiful film
02:29and he made such a good film
02:31but the publicity was not good
02:35The film
02:37was a product
02:39that was ready
02:41The publicity
02:43and marketing
02:45was not good
02:47It was a fantastic film
02:51And on its set
02:53I got Rakesh Roshan
02:55for King Angal
02:57Do you think that
02:59Aashiqui is not a blockbuster film
03:01because it was not promoted
03:03or presented in front of people
03:05No, I don't think so
03:07Not at all
03:09It is a misunderstanding
03:11It is their thinking
03:13I think
03:15My entire
03:17career
03:19My entire career
03:21is a graph
03:23What are 5 years?
03:25It takes 5 years for an actor
03:27to understand someone's name
03:29What are 5-6 films?
03:33Look at any actress
03:35She has done 30-40 films
03:37Even Girls who are 30
03:41And every film
03:43of mine
03:45was noticed
03:47In every film
03:49I wanted to play a different character
03:51because I was an actor already
03:53So my focus was
03:55to play a role
03:57to play a good character
03:59Of course
04:01A good story
04:03A good staff
04:05A good team
04:07So I say
04:09that it is unbelievable
04:11that I have 5 years
04:13and films were released in Kans
04:15Yes, this kind of
04:17And I got a film like Khalnaika
04:19Who was doing
04:21women-centric roles?
04:23Khalnaika had a different role
04:25Who was doing it?
04:27I got a nomination for Filmfare Award
04:29It was my third year in films
04:31In the first year
04:33I already got dozens of awards
04:35for Aashiqui in Filmfare
04:37In the third year
04:39I was already nominated for a role
04:41So it is
04:43an unbelievable graph
04:45Your career in Bollywood
04:47for 4-5 years
04:49from 1990 to 1996
04:51Do you have any regrets
04:53about the films you got
04:55and the work you did?
04:57I just told you
04:59I think it is unbelievable
05:01that I got so much
05:03without thinking
05:05I didn't want to be an actor
05:07Girls want to be actors
05:09in the film industry
05:11I didn't want to be an actor
05:13I wanted to do social work
05:15When I came to Bombay
05:17I went to a blind school
05:19in Worli
05:21I wanted to work here
05:23with blind kids
05:25They gave me a place to stay
05:27That's why I stayed in Bombay
05:29I came here for a holiday
05:31But for the blind kids
05:33I had to do counselling
05:35I was trained in counselling
05:37I did my Masters
05:39in Social Work
05:41I thought it was fantastic
05:43I wanted to do this
05:45That was my dream
05:47Glamour industry
05:49was out of the question
05:51for me
05:53I never had a dream
05:55I never had a link
05:57I didn't know
05:59what was happening in the industry
06:01Who were the people
06:03The first time
06:05I came from Paris
06:07I was
06:09around
06:118.30 am
06:13My sister
06:15used to live in Fiji
06:17There was a big bungalow
06:19in Bandra
06:21I opened the door
06:23She said
06:25Anu ma'am
06:27I said yes
06:29She said
06:31I have come from Yash Chopra
06:33He wants to do a film with you
06:35I saw his face
06:37I thought who is Yash Chopra
06:39Then I called my father
06:41I said he is a friend
06:43from Delhi
06:45He has a son
06:47He said you are crazy
06:49My father is telling me
06:51Yash Chopra, he is a big film director
06:53Oh sorry papa
06:55I have also come from Paris
06:57I was in this condition
06:59That's all I knew about the film industry
07:01That same day
07:03My father got a call from Mahesh Bhatt
07:05I had already met Mahesh Bhatt
07:07I knew him
07:09I am telling you one thing
07:11I had no idea
07:13The controversy about Khalnaika
07:15Subhash Ghai's film Khalnaika
07:17was being released
07:19Pooja Sanjay Dutt
07:21was also in a lot of trouble
07:23Was it because of the same plot?
07:25I have no idea
07:27I really have no idea
07:29what was the controversy
07:31In my acting
07:33When I am acting in any film
07:35My entire heart and mind
07:37is in it
07:39What other people are saying
07:41What controversies are happening
07:43What happened there
07:45Because
07:47To be true to a role
07:49You have to get into it
07:51That's why
07:53I don't make a lot of friends on the film set
07:55Chatting
07:57Gossip
07:59In the room
08:01I stay distant
08:03Because the role is important
08:05To play the role
08:07I have to concentrate on it
08:11That's why Khalnaika
08:13I worked with Jitendra
08:15and Jaya Pradha in Khalnaika
08:17How was that experience?
08:19We didn't have a lot of scenes together
08:21Because they had a lot of scenes together
08:23Some were with him
08:25Some with Mehmood
08:27That was a good experience
08:29In fact
08:31There was a scene
08:33where
08:35It was a breast feeding scene
08:37This girl is a psycho
08:39So
08:41Mehmood comes and sees
08:43Mehmood says
08:45Was he the gardener
08:47and everything
08:49of that flat
08:51He says he will tell
08:53I tell him
08:55He says you are a psycho
08:57I slap him
08:59It was so difficult for me
09:01To mentally prepare myself
09:03Because Mehmood
09:05He is like my grandfather
09:07So
09:09I had to go away from him
09:11From my personality
09:13That I am doing it
09:15She is a psycho
09:17She is doing it
09:19I slapped him so hard
09:21He started crying
09:23I hugged him
09:25I said I am so sorry
09:27I am so sorry
09:29and he said
09:33Didi ji
09:35He used to call me Didi ji