Actor Priti Sapru Recalls Clashes With Filmmakers Over Set Treatment and Reduced Roles

Actor Priti Sapru has opened up about walking off film sets and confronting top directors after facing disrespect during the making of classic Hindi films.

Avtaar and Jagir

While shooting the 1983 film Avtaar, Priti walked off the set after a choreographer referred to her and Sachin Pilgaonkar simply as "the boy and the girl" instead of using their names while addressing lead actors Rajesh Khanna and Shabana Azmi directly. She played Shobha in the Mohan Kumar directorial. Later, on the sets of the 1984 film Jagir directed by Pramod Chakravorty, Priti refused a request to serve food to the filmmaker after he arrived late and tired. The following day, her role was reduced and she was made to stand behind Amrish Puri. When she confronted the director, Pramod Chakravorty told her that she would not last in the film industry and refused to put her name in the credits because he had Zeenat Aman in the cast.

Laawaris

Priti also shared an incident from the sets of the 1981 film Laawaris, directed by Prakash Mehra and starring Amitabh Bachchan. She was shooting in Kashmir less than 40 days after her father's death and would stand alone by herself after every shot to cope with her grief. She learned from actor Suresh Oberoi that Prakash Mehra had called her crazy during the shoot. Priti confronted the filmmaker directly about the remark and refused to apologize when his assistant asked her to do so, claiming her role was also changed during the film's making.

Context

Power dynamics between established directors and actors have long been a subject of discussion within the film industry. Veteran actors frequently look back at their early experiences on sets to highlight how industry norms and treatment of junior cast members have evolved over the decades.