Shakti Samanta’s son Ashim speaks to IWMBuzz on 50 years of Mehbooba and more:
On the Film’s Box Office Performance & Expectations
Mehbooba was a highly anticipated film because it had fabulous music. I think people expected it to become a big hit because there was a long gap between Rajesh Khanna’s last film and this film.
Somehow the film did not perform as well as expected. Though it did quite good business in most parts of the country, it did not as per expectations. It was average in Bombay. So, the perception among the press and film people was that it flopped. But basically it did pretty well as per the producers. They got profits from all India, including Bombay.
On the Story and Why It Didn’t Become a Super Hit
The film was on reincarnation. The previous life part was excellent. It was very gripping and very beautifully shot and had fabulous songs. But the second part didn’t seem as interesting as the first one. I guess that was the reason the movie did not become a super hit. It became an average runner.
On Rajesh Khanna’s Career & Shifting Industry Trends
During this period, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra films were doing extremely well. Action films were doing extremely well. Sholay and Deewaar had released in 1975, and Mehbooba was in ’76. So, obviously the trend was that of action films. Romantic films had lost their glamour and Rajesh Khanna also had lost his number one position to Amitabh and Dharmendra, both had overtaken him.
On Hema Malini
Hema Malini was top star at that time. Hema Malini has always been a top star. She has been a top star from the first film to her last film, I think. She has been excellent always.
