The controversial kiss scene between Rekha and Biswajit from the 1969 film Anjana Safar has returned to the spotlight after Biswajit’s daughter, actress Pallavi Chatterjee, admitted in a recent interview that what happened to Rekha was “definitely wrong.Now, senior film journalist Jyoti Venkatesh has also revisited the incident, recalling what he had heard about the shoot.
‘Director Ne Controversy Plan Ki Thi’
Speaking to Hindi Rush, he recalled, “Ek ghatna toh apne jaroor padi hogi—Vishwajit aur Rekha ka chumban scene. Us wakt rekha noi-nai chennai se aay thi… film ka naam anjana safar tha.” (You must have read about the Biswajit-Rekha kiss scene. Rekha had just arrived from Chennai and the film was titled Anjana Safar.)Jyoti also claimed, “May suna ki director ne janbujhkar banda khadi karane ki yojana banayi thi. The shoot began se pehle Biswajit ke kaan mein jakar kaha, ‘Is ladki ko lip-to-lip kiss chumban karan’ that the director heard before the shoot. Shoot, he whispered to Biswajit, ‘Kiss this girl on the lips.’)He further said, “Vishwajit ne pucha, ‘Gal par kis karun?’ But the director ne kaha, ‘nahin, ye scene ka hisa hai. Lip-to-lip kiss Karna.'” (Vishwajith asked if he should kiss her on the cheek, but the director insisted that it be a lip-to-lip kiss as part of the scene.)According to Jyoti, “Iske baad Biswajit ne waisa hi kiya aur rekha foot-foot kar rone lagi. Us din ki shooting cancel ho gayi thi. Halanki oh kissing shot pehle hi filmay ja chuka tha aur baad me film may be whislam.” (After acting on Vishwajit’s instructions, Rekha breaks down in tears. The shoot was canceled for the day, but the kiss shot had already been shot and was placed in the film later.)
Pallavi Chatterjee called the incident ‘definitely wrong’
The incident resurfaced after Pallavi Chatterjee did not defend her father and admitted that the episode was wrong. He said that Biswajit should have either refused to do the scene or should have taken Rekha’s consent beforehand. Pallavi also points out that Rekha was just a teenager and completely unprepared for the kiss, making the experience deeply shocking and traumatic.Pallavi also revealed that the two families shared a close bond during that time, with Rekha often visiting their home during her childhood. According to her, that personal connection made the incident even more painful for the young actress, as it involved someone she knew and trusted.Anjana Safar’s kiss scene, later released as Do Shikhari, remains one of the most controversial episodes in Bollywood history. According to various accounts of the incident, the camera continued to roll for about five minutes as Biswajit proceeded to kiss Rekha, who was allegedly not informed of the scene beforehand. Rekha later said that she felt betrayed and exploited by the experience, while Biswajith maintained over the years that she was only following director Raja Nawathe’s instructions.
