Veteran actress Asha Parekh recently shared an unforgettable memory from the shooting days of the classic film ‘Kati Patang’ while appearing on the music reality show ‘Indian Idol.’During the special episode, the actress recreated the iconic song “Jis Gali Mein Tera Ghar” along with host Harsh Limbachiyaa. The moment brought back nostalgia for fans of the 1971 blockbuster. As the discussion shifted towards the original shoot of the song, Asha Parekh opened up about a chaotic incident that happened during filming in Nainital. The actress revealed that huge crowds gathered at the location because of Rajesh Khanna’s massive popularity during that period.
Massive crowd gathered during shoot
According to IANS, recalling the incident, Asha Parekh explained that the situation became difficult for the team soon after Rajesh Khanna arrived near the lake where the song sequence was supposed to be filmed. Speaking about the moment, she said, “Is gaane ke liye hum Nainital gaye the shooting karne aur us waqt Rajesh Khanna phir lake tak pahunche and boat mai baithna tha. Itni bheed ho gayi, itni bheed ho gayi hum boat mai bhi chadh nahi paye.” (For this song, we had gone to Nainital for the shoot, and at that time Rajesh Khanna also reached the lake where we had to sit in a boat. Such a huge crowd had gathered, such a huge crowd, that we couldn’t even get onto the boat.)The actress noted that the crowd grew completely unmanageable due to the fans’ overwhelming eagerness to catch a glimpse of Rajesh Khanna. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna reigned as one of the most phenomenal superstars in the history of Indian cinema.
Rajesh Khanna fans turned aggressive at location
Asha Parekh further revealed that the atmosphere became tense after many fans failed to get close to Rajesh Khanna during the shoot. She recalled that the frustrated crowd eventually started throwing stones at the team. Sharing the shocking moment, the actress said, “Aur iske baad ye hua ki moka hi nahi mila jaake Rajesh Khanna ji ko milne ke liye toh unhone patthar baazi shuru kar di. Ab itne patthar padne lage humne kaha ye kya ho raha hai.” (And after that, what happened was that people didn’t get a chance to go and meet Rajesh Khanna ji, so they started throwing stones. So many stones started coming at us that we were wondering, ‘What is happening?’)The dangerous situation eventually forced director Shakti Samanta to stop filming for the day. Asha Parekh recalled that the crew had no option but to pack up because shooting under those conditions had become impossible. “Director Shakti Samanta ji ne kaha is tarah se shooting nahi ho sakti hai toh us din hame pack up karna pada. Kaafi police bulwa ke sab ko door kar ke ye gaana picture hua,” she said. (Director Shakti Samanta ji said that shooting could not continue in such a situation, so we had to pack up for the day. After calling in a lot of police and clearing the crowd away, the song was finally filmed.)According to the actress, police officials later arrived at the location and cleared the crowd before the sequence could finally be completed. Directed by Shakti Samanta, Kati Patang released in 1971 and went on to become one of the most celebrated films in Hindi cinema. The film starred Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh in lead roles and became widely popular for its emotional storyline, memorable performances and timeless music.
