“Thanks to Mehmood Bhai, I got a chance to work with the man I worship even today- Dilip Kumar in Sadhu Aur Shaitan in a passing shot,” recalls veteran actress SHUBHA KHOTE while speaking to acclaimed entertainment journalist Jyothi Venkatesh.
Shubha Khote, who is 87, had started her illustrious and long journey over 70 years ago, with Ameya Chakraborty’s film Seema. “My role in Seema was extremely popular and overnight I ended up as a star to reckon with and touchwood, there has been absolutely no looking back at all and I am happy with the way my career has progressed till date from Seema till Toilet Ek Prem Katha,” she chuckles, at the outset.
In this exclusive interview with JYOTHI VENKATESH for Filmytown.com, SHUBHA KHOTE says that she is excited to have been bestowed the PIFF Distinguished award for outstanding Contribution to Cinema in this year’s Pune International Film Festival in Pune.
You have bagged the award for outstanding Contribution to acting at the Pune International Film Festival 2025. How do you feel?
Though I have been acting for the past seven decades, would you believe that the PIFF award for Outstanding Contribution to acting is the first award that I have received in my career till date.
You have been working in films almost for the last over seven decades. What difference do you find between working then and now as an actor?
If you ask me to be frank, I’d say that the 50’s were the best for the film industry. I feel that, as an actress, it was very enjoyable to work in films like a family.
Not many in today’s generation are aware of the fact that you were a champion cyclist at one time before you decided to take up acting!
Yes. It was after the veteran filmmaker Ameya Chakraborty saw my picture in a newspaper as a cyclist that he decided to offer me a role in his film Seema, which revolved around a woman’s home. Ameya Chakraborty had made several films including Patita, Daag, Dekh Kabira Roya etc. It was Ameya who had given a break to Dilip Kumar too.
I believe there was no screen test or audition for you to get through the casting in Seema!
Yes. Ameya did not take any screen test for me before he cast me though I was nervous when I faced the camera for the first time for Seema as I had stage experience.
Where did you learn acting at that time?
At that time there was no acting institute that set out to train the students in acting like say Pune Film Institute and whatever I learnt as far as acting in front of the camera was from Ameya. The director was the captain of the ship. He was our teacher and we actors used to listen to him.
Were you good at Hindi when you started your career?
I did not learn Hindi in school but improved my Hindi as well as Urdu actually by listening to Lata Mangeshkar’s songs. It was Ameya who advised me to work on my diction and accent if I have to succeed in Hindi films as an actor.
Though your name is Shubha Khote, people tend to call you Shobha Khote. What do you feel?
I was aghast when the credit titles of Ek Duuje Ke Liye mentioned my name as Shobha Khote instead of Shubha Khote, though I had acted with L.V. Prasad’s banner in three films- Sasural, Beti Bete and Choti Behen. Not a person to mince words, I told Prasad that whenever my name appeared in the credit titles erroneously as Shobha instead of Shubha, the film was guaranteed to flop. Overnight L.V. Prasad recalled the title cards and changed them in all the prints of Ek Duuje Ke Liye.
What exactly did you learn from your teacher and director Ameya?
Ameya had told me to whisper loudly whenever you lip sync to any song. His film Dekh Kabira Roya was like a school for me. I shot for Seema at Modern Studios which later was known as Natraj Studios in Andheri.
Which actors you enjoyed working with in films in your career till date?
I am happy that I have worked with the greatest of actors in my lifetime whether it is Nutan, Meena Kumari, Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor or for that matter even Kamal Haasan with whom I worked in his debut film Ek Duuje Ke Liye.
How would you rate them as actors?
You would not at all feel that Dilip Kumar was acting when he faced the camera because it was so effortless. Among his films, I want to see Tarana and Sangdil. While Nutan was my friend, philosopher as well as guide, Shammi Kapoor was like my elder brother and Meena Kumari used to talk very less.
You have done comedy as well as tragedy roles. Why did you not make an attempt to take up leading roles in your career?
It was Ameya who suggested that I should take up more comedy roles as not many were there at that time to compete with me other than Tun Tun though there were many men who were playing the role of the comedian. Ameya knew that I had the perfect sense of timing as an actor and that was very important in comedy.
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Today’s comedy is irrelevant to the story, says veteran comedy actress Shubha Khote at PIFF 2025
Is it true that you had produced a film in Marathi?
Yes. I had produced as well as directed a Marathi film called Chimukala Pahuna which was in Black & White. Not many are aware of the fact that not only have I acted in four Marathi films including Shubh Mangal directed by Anant Mane in which I played the proper suffering helpless heroine which I did while I was in college even before I got a break with Seema but also produced Chimukala Pahuna and also directed it. It was not released properly and flopped when it was released but I was overwhelmed when I received a lot of telephone calls the day it was telecast on Mumbai Doordarshan. Ramesh Deo, my younger brother Viju Khote and I had acted in the film which was released in 1968. It cost me, believe it or not, just a lakh of rupees then.
Are you ready to take up acting in films in any language?
Yes. Today I am ready to act in whatever language. I am asked to act, whether it is Hindi, Marathi, Tamil or for that matter even Telugu.
You and Mehmood shared a great camaraderie and used to call each other Bhai.
Most of the time Dhumal, Mehmood and I used to shoot for our separate comedy track, which used to run in parallel with the film’s story. Funnily enough though the situations were similar and stereo typed, and we used to mouth the same lines like parrots, we used to sport different costumes for the scenes.
What is the reason that you gelled well with both Mehmood and Dhumal?
I gelled with both because we could understand one another and indulge in impromptu repartee. It is thanks to Bhai that I got a chance to work with the man I worship even today- Dilip Kumar with whom I did a passing shot for Sadhu Aur Shaitan when I was in the cab with a dead body.
What is your advice to newcomers today?
I have done not only theatre and TV but also films. I would advise newcomers not to overact because unlike television, over acting would not at all work in films. I also would like to tell newcomers to avoid negativity in life.
