When Waheeda Rehman Wear Shoes While Shooting For Delhi 6 In A Temple Set Despite Freezing Temperatures(Pic Credit: Wikipedia, Poster)
Waheeda Rehman is one of the most celebrated artists of her time who has delivered several hits in the last two decades as well. As she celebrates her 84th birthday today, her fans have been recalling her iconic roles in movies like Pyaasa, Guide, and Kaagaz Ke Phool, amongst others. A few years back, when she was working on the film Delhi 6, her gesture of not wearing shoes inside a temple set had left the director, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra quite fascinated and impressed.
For the unversed, Delhi 6 was a drama film that hit the theatres in 2009. The movie did not work well at the box office but was heavily appreciated for its music and unique messaging. It featured Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role alongside actors like Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman and Rishi Kapoor.
In a letter written by director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, for Pinkvilla, he narrated an anecdote from the time he worked with Waheeda Rehman in the freezing weather of Rajasthan. "We had constructed a set of a temple under a tree. It was December and the desert chill recorded minus 4 degrees! Om Puri, Rishi Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Prem Chopra, Vijay Raaz, Atul Kulkarni, Divya Dutta, K.K. Raina… an eclectic group of artistes sat in the temple set as it was less windy there. It was 2 am and to keep up the morale, I said, 'Let's have tea.'", he wrote.
Continuing the story, Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra said, "Suddenly, I noticed that Waheedaji (Waheeda Rehman) was standing bare feet on the marble floor of the temple. Taken aback, I asked her why she wasn't wearing anything on her feet while everyone had double socks, sweaters and shawls. She replied, 'Woh mandir hain na (We're in a temple, aren't we)!' I said, 'Ma'am woh mandir ka 'set' hai (It's just a set)!' She reasoned, "Hai toh mandir hi na mere dil mein (But in my heart, it's still a temple)"
