Hema Malini In  A Sequel To Seeta Aur Geeta

What started as an amusing speculative idea has now reached the realm of reality. The idea  of making a sequel to Ramesh Sippy’s 1972  blockbuster Seeta Aur Geeta which came to its leading lady Hema Malini when she went to  Russia earlier this month,is  now being seriously taken up by director Ramesh Sippy, a self-confessed “ardent fan  of Hemaj”.

Sippy who last year completed  a film with Hema Malini entitled Simla Mirch,an  age-challenged romance featuring Hema and Rajkummar Rao  is all for  the idea  even after so many years.

Says Sippy, “So what  if 45 years have passed since we did Seeta Aur Geeta? Hemaji is still the Dream Girl of the nation. I  did four film with her  including Sholay ,the film everyone identifies me with.Nothing has changed over the years. She  is still Bollywood’s  most beloved actress, a rock star.”

Hema says the idea grew in Russia. “I know Seeta Aur Geeta  is  one  of my most  beloved films.  But I didn’t know it had such a fan-following in Russia. The Russian fans want a sequel. I jokingly promised  them  I would give it to them. But now we are seriously looking at  the idea.”

Interestingly Seeta Aur Geeta was  first  offered to Mumtaz who couldn’t do the  film because  of  prior commitments. Ramesh Sippy had already worked with Hema Malini inAndaz where she dared to play a young widow. Seeta Aur Geeta seemed custom-designed for the Dream Girl’s superstardom.

Says Hema, “The  film was a rage. To this day people remember me sitting on  a ceiling fan.Don’t ask me  how I got there. You have  to believe  in the madness if you want the audience  to believe  in it.”