Shagufta Ali on working with Karisma Kapoor: She was over-ambitious, had too much attitude

Shagufta also said that acting is a collaborative art and needs give and take from both participants. “When you’re doing scenes with your co-stars, there has to be give and take. If you don’t even ask the other actor a question and only respond with one or two words, how am I supposed to perform? I can’t just keep talking by myself. If we’re doing a scene together or even giving an interview together, both people should speak. Every action needs a reaction,” she said.

The actor also recalled occasions when actors would leave after completing their shots.

“If I’m standing there during your shot and you leave, asking an assistant to give you cues instead, it affects the performance. If I’m there on set to give you cues, then you should also be there for me. Or don’t be. I can perform scenes without cues too. That’s how I’ve managed to survive in this industry for 40 years,” she added.

Govinda and Karisma were among Bollywood’s most sought-after on-screen pairings of the 1990s, delivering hits such as Coolie No. 1 (1995), Raja Babu (1994), Saajan Chale In-laws (1996), Hero No. 1 and Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999).

Asked why the pair eventually stopped working together, Shagufta said Karisma may have simply moved on.“Maybe she lost interest. Maybe the love for it was gone. You never know with heroines and their moods.”

“The pairing lasted as long as it was meant to. People watched them for as long as they wanted to. After a point, perhaps the audience got an overdose of seeing the same couple together,” she added.

Shagufta shared screen space with Govinda and Karisma in David Dhawan’s Hero No. 1which also starred Paresh Rawal, Satish Shah, Kader Khan and Tiku Talsania. Released in 1997, the comedy was one of the year’s biggest box-office successes.