Sushmita Sen Left The Set After Mithun Chakraborty Touched Her Inappropriately During A Scene

Sushmita Sen’s five-year-long hiatus has been forgotten thanks to her triumphant comeback. Critics and audiences alike have been raving about her performances as 'Shreegauri Sawant' in Taali and the titular character in Aarya. However, this isn’t the first time the former Miss Universe has been reckoned as a tour de force. One movie that earned Sushmita widespread acclaim for her range as an actress was Chingaari. However, the sets of the 2006 release, Chingaari, seem to have been a hotbed for controversies, so much so, that the film’s release was even postponed by over a month. 

Sushmita backed out from film promotions amid kissing controversy with Anuj Sawhney

One of the initial uproars surrounding Chingaari involved leading lady, Sushmita Sen and fledgling actor, Anuj Sawhney. Anuj played the role of a postman who finds his soulmate in Sushmita’s character, a prostitute. During promotions, Anuj was heard bragging about an intimate kiss sequence with Sushmita that allegedly needed 36 retakes. The stunt left Sushmita so enraged that she refused to promote the film at all. The director of the film, Kalpana G. Lajmi, talked about losing out on two months of publicity due to the debacle. She elaborated:

“Chingari without Sush is like Agra without the Taj Mahal. You cannot imagine the film without her.”

Anuj himself apologised for his actions two months down the line, an act Kalpana viewed as an admission of guilt. She added that while she understood Sushmita’s actions as a woman, they left her disappointed as a director. Sushmita has since forgiven Anuj but explained why she was so hurt in an interview with the Hindustan Times:

“I don't think that a film like Chingari should be publicised in such a manner. I felt extremely hurt when Anuj gave importance to the kiss sequence rather than the whole message behind the film.”

Chingaari co-stars Sushmita Sen and Mithun Chakraborty were at odds throughout filming

In interviews with multiple news sources, Kalpana candidly revealed that the two co-stars had major issues. According to her, seasoned actor Mithun Chakraborty wasn’t expecting Sushmita’s power-packed performance. His shock at her potential led to a palpable friction between the two. Also, the director ended up becoming the target of his frustrations. 

Rumours also surfaced of Sushmita storming off the set after filming an intimate scene with Mithun. Allegedly, the latter had touched Sushmita inappropriately, causing her to burst into tears after the scene was shot. She also reported the problem to Kalpana. However, the director explained to Sushmita that the issue was a misunderstanding. Sources said that Sushmita, too, eventually felt that she had blown things out of proportion and cleared the air with her co-star. None of the people involved have gone on record to talk about this particular issue. 

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty frequently clashed with director Kalpana G. Lajmi

Kalpana often talked about Mithun being someone she had admired for years in her Chingaari interviews. However, what should have been a memorable working relationship soon turned into a nightmare. And the late director never shied away from talking about the challenges she faced. 

Kalpana and Mithun reportedly locked horns over the rather long shots she made Sushmita do when filming bold scenes. She also accused Mithun of showing up drunk to the sets half of the time. According to Kalpana, she eventually put her foot down. While the senior actor wasn’t too keen on this, he did remain sober for the last five days of filming. This, Kalpana said, was the reason behind his rather inconsistent performance. Speaking on an intimate scene in which Sushmita had completely overshadowed Mithun, Kalpana said:

“After the shot Mithunda was livid. He called me to a corner and abused me in graphic language. You don’t know what I’ve gone through.”

Sushmita overcame her discomfort and left critics amazed by her performance

Controversies aside, the role of ‘Basanti’ wasn’t an easy one for Sushmita to embody. The star often talked about how difficult it was for her to move on from the character long after leaving the sets. Speaking on her experience playing a sex worker, she told the Hindustan Times:

“Every time a man used to touch me, I felt disturbed. I was fully aware that I was only acting, still I could feel the character of Basanti getting into my space.”

Difficult as it was, Sushmita let neither the demands of her role nor the challenges on set deter her. She gave an electrifying performance, the likes of which no one had expected from the glam queen. Her efforts were rewarded with critics singing her praises despite the film bombing.

We wonder if the issues on set contributed to the movie’s failure. What do you think about these controversies? Let us know.

Also Read: Mahesh Bhatt Threw Ashutosh Rana Out From His Film's Set And Here's How It Changed Latter's Life

Image Courtesy: Sushmita Sen, Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest

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