Shotgun salvo

In the capital to launch his biography, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha talks about his romantic side, rivalries, idols and more

From being mother Shyama Devi’s chhutka bauwa (little darling) and a ‘villain with a romantic touch’ to being a politician without any godfather and a loving father to three children, Anything But Khamosh (by Bharathi S Paradhan, Om Books International) retraces the hurrahs and heartaches of Bollywood’s beloved Bihari Babu — Shatrughan Sinha. In a spirited conversation, Sinha talks about love at first sight, undying love for veterans like Raj Kapoor, his not-so-sweet bonding with Amitabh Bachchan and more.

Unabashed love for Raj Kapoor and Pran

An ardent fan of Raj Kapoor, Sinha was inexorably drawn towards his movies and even started picking up his personal habits and mannerisms. He confesses, “I will forever remain Raj Kapoor’s greatest admirer. He was extremely handsome and charming. I was so much in love with him that I started picking up his habits. Influenced by him, I started smoking too.” After watching Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Sinha was totally smitten by Pran.

He played the role of Raka, a dacoit in the movie, and I was totally swayed by his character. I memorised his dialogues and started imitating his walk, talk and mannerisms in my daily life,” he shares.

Love at first sight

Interestingly, Sinha met his wife Poonam Chandiramani (now Poonam Sinha) in a filmi way on a train journey, and it was love at first sight. He recalls, “It was the first time I was leaving home and the moment I boarded the train at Patna, I was awestruck by a beautiful face. Once the journey began, I noticed that Poonam was crying for her personal reason. The diehard romantic inside me came out and I scribbled a message on a magazine — Itne sundar chehre ki aankhon mein aansoo achche nahin lagte, rona nahi (Tears don’t look nice on such a beautiful face, don’t cry) and handed it over to her. I thought she would be impressed, but she just threw the magazine away from the window!” Despite all odds, Poonam has been an integral part of Sinha’s life. He adds, “She has always stood by me in all my ups and downs and has been a great mother to my children.”

On Reena Roy

Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy’s affair was a much-gossiped-about fling of the 70s. With a nonchalant shrug, he puts forth, “Even today, after so many years, I still have tremendous love, affection and respect for Reena. She had been a guiding factor in my life and was very comforting and understanding when I was undergoing the whole dilemma about my marriage. Our priorities in life changed and we chose different partners, but that’s okay. It has happened with so many people in their lives, I am not the only one. Whenever we meet, there is grace and dignity.”

On Amitabh Bachchan

Back in the 80s, Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha shared the screen in movies like Kaala Patthar, Dostana and Shaan. Talking about his contemporary, he says, “Amitabh Bachchan is a national asset today. We are proud to have a gem like him in our industry. His personality is what I like, and I feel proud that despite our differences during our peak days, we are still great friends. We struggled together; we became stars and at one point, I became a greater star than him and much later he emerged as a grander star than me, and the cycle continued. We have sailed together in good and bad times. I believe any understanding after misunderstanding is longer lasting, so that’s the case with my bonding with Amitabh.”

Unfortunately, things did go amiss between the two. In the biography, Sinha gives a simplistic explanation for what went wrong. He goes on, “The problem was the applause I was getting for my performances. Amitabh could see the response I was getting. That’s why he didn’t want me in some of his films.”

Political innings

He attributes his decision to enter politics to social reformer and political leader Jayaprakash Narayan. The actor says, “I wanted to do something for my fans and for the people who had made me a star. I wanted to use my stardom for social and political causes. After giving it serious thought, I started meeting some political leaders. Stalwarts like Nanaji Deshmukh and Jayaprakash Narayan inspired me deeply to take up politics.”

Special equation with Sonakshi

“Sonakshi is the one who makes me khamosh and doesn’t let me speak!” quips the doting father and adds, “Nonetheless, she considers me not just the best but uses the term ‘bestest father’ to express our bond, and I have to live up to that. I am very proud of her work and happy that she is achieving great heights in her career.”