Actress Madhoo Shah has spoken about one of the most unexpected moments of her acting career. In a recent interview, she recalled how veteran actor Nana Patekar slapped her for real during the shoot of the 1997 Bollywood film Yeshwant, without any prior warning.
Madhoo is popular for films like ‘Phool Aur Kaante’, ‘Roja’, and ‘Gentleman’. The discussion led to her time on the sets of ‘Yeshwant’, where she shared the screen with Nana Patekar. The two played husband and wife in the film. Patekar played Inspector Yashwant Lohar, and Madhoo played Ragini Yashwant Lohar, an IAS Deputy Collector.
The scene that set it off
During filming of a scene in Yeshwant, the crew was preparing with glycerine to simulate tears. But Nana Patekar refused the shortcut. He insisted the emotions had to be real and that the tears had to come naturally.
Madhoo explained in Hindi what happened next. She said her tears were not coming. So Patekar, in the middle of the take, slapped her for real. She recalled being extremely angry because he had not done anything like this during rehearsals. She said he completely shocked her during the take itself.
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In her own words: “Toh, aansun nhi aa rahey they mujhey, toh unhoney, scene mein mujhey real ka thappad maara. Aur main itna gussa… kyunki vo rehearsal mein aesa nhi karte they. Unhoney mujhey shock kar diya tha take mein, unhoney real mein mujhey slap kar diya aur mein boht gussey wali ladki thi, aur aaj bhi hun.”
The translation: her tears were not coming, so he slapped her tightly in the scene. She was very angry because he never did such things in rehearsals. He shocked her in the take. She described herself as a very fierce woman, then and now.
She hit back
Madhoo did not let it go. She said, “I got really angry, and I gave him one back, for real, in the take, as an artist. Mera reflex unko wapas maarney ka tha.” (My reflex was to hit him back.)
The slap happened in the master shot. The real emotions that poured out after that moment were so powerful that the shoot was packed up for half the day right after.
Madhoo confirmed the exchange happened entirely in the master shot. She said the real emotion that came out was so strong that the shoot was wrapped up for the rest of the half-day. She added that the scene became the most crucial sequence in the entire film.
A lesson in method acting
Madhoo did not hold any resentment over the incident. She credited Patekar with teaching her how to access genuine emotions on screen. She concluded, “So, I learned method acting from Nana Ji.”
She recalled how the experience became an unexpected lesson in method acting and changed the way she approached performances.
Patekar’s approach on set was clear from the start. He had rejected the use of glycerine and told the team that the emotions had to be felt, not faked. When natural tears did not come, he took a decision in the moment that no one, including Madhoo, was prepared for.
About Yeshwant
Yeshwant was released in 1997. The film starred Nana Patekar as Inspector Yashwant Lohar, with Madhoo as his wife Ragini. The cast also included Atul Agnihotri, Shafi Inamdar, Mohan Joshi, and Shivaji Satam.
Who is Madhoo Shah?
Madhoo Shah made her Bollywood debut in 1991 with Phool Aur Kaante, which also starred Ajay Devgn. She followed it with major hits including Roja (1992) and Gentleman (1993), both directed by Mani Ratnam and S. Shankar respectively. She remained active in films through the 1990s and has appeared in projects in recent years as well, including Kartam Bhugtam.