Sheeba Chaddha recalls playing mother to 8yr college senior SRK
What's the story
Sheeba Chaddha (52), known for her performances in Badhaai Do and Doctor G, has been a part of the film industry since 1998. She made her Bollywood debut with Dil Se (1998), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Since then, she has worked with Khan in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), Raees (2017), and Zero (2018). But did you know, she and Khan are both alumni of the same college: Hans Raj College, Delhi?
College bond
'Forgot to remind him that he is my senior'
Chaddha, who was eight years junior to Khan at college, has played his mother twice, in Raees and Zero. Speaking with Siddharth Kannan, Chaddha noted: "I am realizing only now that I forgot to remind him that he is my senior from Hans Raj." "When I shot for Raees, he was in Delhi for some interview, where he had gone and said there is this actress in Raees who is playing my mother. Watch out for her, she is wonderful."
On-set encounters
On working with Khan
Chaddha fondly remembered her experiences of working with Khan (59). She said, "I remember, we had a hugging scene. It was more like, he was getting beaten up and I had to save him." "He just came to me before the scene and asked, 'It is okay if I touch you?' I was like, 'Yeah theek hai chalo chalo.' He is very lovely." "He knew my name even before I came on set. And that feeling is different."
Typecasting
On being typecast in mother roles
In the same interview, she also spoke about being typecast in mother roles. "Half the times I am playing mothers to sons who are just 10-12 years younger than me. Television does that a lot." "There, even a 30-year-old is playing mothers to older guys. In the beginning, I was in shock but I made my peace with it, told myself it is just work, do it and move on and I follow that."
Debut details
Her experience of working in 'Dil Se'
Chaddha also spoke about her role in Dil Se. "I almost have no role in Dil Se. It was so small that I have forgotten what the role was." "But the fact that I got to shoot in Dalhousie and watch Shah Rukh Khan..." She recalled one day, Koirala was not on the set and they needed a shot "amid the snow"; for this, Mani Ratnam personally asked her if she'd "wear Manisha's costume and walk as her body double."