When Nutan Slapped Sanjeev Kumar

The legendary Nutan, considered  by many to be THE  finest Indian actress  of all times,  was  not happy in her marriage. Husband Ranjish Behl kept a  tight  control over her  physical movements.  Nutan was  not ‘allowed’ to visit friends.

Her close friend actress Shubha Khote told me, “I played her best friend in 4 successive films Seema, Anari ,Aakhri Dao and Paying Guest.She was very helpful and very generous. And truly an angel. In all the time that I knew her I never ever heard her raise her voice.Softspoken and gentle her voice didn’t rise even when she was angry.We were constantly chatting, giggling, arguing. Once Nutan get married we spent very little time together. I really don’t want to talk about it. But after her marriage I’d call her and she was not allowed to come on the phone. I remember I called her up on her birthday once . Her husband came on line to inform me she was sleeping that she would not be talking to anyone as she wanted to rest on her birthday.I left it that. Not that we stopped being friends. Whenever we were shooting we’d meet up.Even when there was a distance between us I continued to be very close to her.”

Nutan  was  under constant  surveillance  and  yet during the making of a film called Devi she  grew close  to  her co-star Sanjeev Kumar.As  expected the news spread  like wildfire  in  the film industry. It reached  her suspicious and  over-protective  husband who  confronted her  with the scandal.

Nutan  denied any  association with Sanjeev Kumar  except a professional one. But  her husband  wanted  proof. He asked his wife to slap Sanjeev Kumar in full view  of  the entire crew of their underproduction film accusing him  of spreading  false rumours about  Nuta  and  Sanjeev Kumar.

Nutan did just that.  She  called Sanjeev near her and  planted a tight one. That slap possibly survived a near-dead marriage.  But something died  within  Nutan