Veteran actor Shekhar Suman recently took a trip down memory lane, recalling a fun and memorable interaction with the infamous dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi. Speaking exclusively to IANS, he shared the details of their conversation, revealing that when he asked the 'Bandit Queen' — who had taken so many lives — who she was scared of, she surprisingly admitted that she was afraid of him and his 'fiery' questions.
Shekhar Suman on His Interview with Phoolan Devi
When asked if he ever got nervous talking to anyone, Shekhar Suman denied. He then shared his experience of a memorable interaction with Phoolan Devi, telling IANS, 'When she came and sat, even her feet were not touching the ground.' Pointing this out, Shekhar Suman had asked her, 'Even your feet are not touching the ground, so how did you use to sit on a horse, holding a rifle in one hand, you are the bandit queen.'
The 'Dekh Bhai Dekh' actor recalled that as Phoolan Devi stared at him, he went ahead and asked her, 'You have shot so many people, are you afraid of anyone?' To this, Phoolan Devi hilariously replied, 'You, you fire at me.'
The Story of Phoolan Devi on Screen
The rebellious tale of Phoolan Devi — her transformation from a child bride to a dacoit to a politician — was beautifully captured on screen by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur in his 1994 biographical drama 'Bandit Queen'. With Seema Biswas playing the title character, the much-acclaimed movie also starred Nirmal Pandey, Aditya Srivastava, Gajraj Rao, Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Bajpayee, Raghuvir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, and Anirudh Agarwal in crucial roles, among others.
Shekhar Suman Remembers Bal Thackeray
During the conversation, Shekhar Suman also remembered his interview with the late politician Bal Thackeray. He shared that once Bal Thackeray called him to praise his show, and sensing an opportunity, he ended up inviting him for an interview. 'After doing the interview, he said, "It was a lot of fun, do one more", so I said, "Sir, we don't have another costume". He replied, "Let's do it in this". So that is a very memorable moment for me,' recalled Shekhar Suman.
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