![\"Shekhar](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130620182,imgsize-56066,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/image.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nShekhar Suman<\/a> has gone down memory lane, revisiting the extraordinary chain of events that led to his big break in Utsav\u2014a film that not only paired him opposite Rekha<\/a> but also cemented his lifelong gratitude towards Shashi Kapoor<\/a>.In a recent conversation, Suman described his journey as something \u201cwritten in a script,\u201d insisting that destiny had already charted his path long before he realised it.<\/p>\n Reflecting on fate, Suman told Red FM, \u201cLife is like a script. As you go on, one page keeps opening after another. But God\u2019s strict advice is\u2014don\u2019t try to open the pages. Because first of all, it won\u2019t end, and if you do, you are going against nature.\u201dHe added that even attempts to predict the future are futile. \u201cPeople ask astrologers what will happen. Nothing\u2014only what is destined by God will happen. It\u2019s already written.\u201d<\/p>\n Long before Utsav, Suman was a theatre actor in Delhi when late actress Shammi spotted him for a cameo in Pighalta Aasman. He was offered Rs 1000, with Rs 100 as a signing amount\u2014an amount he remembers vividly.What followed, however, was a lesson in patience. \u201cThey told me a car would come in three days. I waited in my only suit\u2014which was torn from the back because I had fallen off a motorcycle. I had patched it because I couldn\u2019t afford a new one,\u201d he recalled.The car never came\u2014until it suddenly did, days later. \u201cI had lost hope, thinking \u2018Bombay people make big promises\u2019. Then one day an Ambassador arrived and called me down.\u201d<\/p>\n Suman\u2019s life changed when he landed in Mumbai and met Shashi Kapoor on a film set. What began as a casual interaction soon turned into an unimaginable opportunity.\u201cHe told me about a film he was making\u2014Utsav. Rekha was the heroine. Then suddenly he asked me, \u2018Would you play the hero?\u2019 I literally fell off my chair,\u201d Suman said.The role, however, came with a condition\u2014he had to pass a screen test with director Girish Karnad and, crucially, be approved by Rekha.<\/p>\n Watch<\/span><\/p>\n Shekhar Suman on son Adhyayan Suman’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Kangana Ranaut: I was aware of every single moment. But I never talked to her…<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n At RK Studios, Suman realised the scale of competition. \u201cThere were around 5000 boys, all saying they were there for the same role. I thought I had no chance,\u201d he admitted.After his screen test, he was told he was \u201c99% in\u201d\u2014the final 1% depended on Rekha\u2019s approval.Days of anxious waiting followed. \u201cI used to sit at Prithvi Theatre every day, waiting for her. One day she came, looked at me from top to bottom, and walked in. That was my test.\u201dThe next day, Kapoor delivered the life-changing news: Rekha had said yes.Suman\u2019s reaction was nothing short of cinematic. \u201cI ran barefoot across streets and flyovers to tell my sister. She fainted out of excitement,\u201d he said.That moment, he believes, defined his journey forever.<\/p>\n Looking back, Suman is unequivocal about the man who made it all possible.\u201cToday, whatever I am\u2014my existence, my life\u2014I owe it to one man called Shashi Kapoor. I bow down to him. If he hadn\u2019t chosen me, I don\u2019t think I would be sitting here today,\u201d he said.He also acknowledged Rekha and Girish Karnad for their support but maintained that Kapoor\u2019s belief in him was the turning point.<\/p>\n Despite being a newcomer, Suman shared screen space with one of the biggest stars of the time. His first shot with Rekha involved hugging her\u2014something that initially made him nervous.\u201cShe said, \u2018He\u2019s a newcomer\u2014how is he so confident?\u2019 But she helped me enormously throughout the shoot. She was very professional, very cooperative\u2014no tantrums at all,\u201d he recalled.For Suman, the journey from a struggling theatre actor with a torn suit to leading a major film opposite Rekha was not just about talent\u2014it was about timing, belief, and fate.\u201cI was just at the right place at the right time,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n‘Life is like a script… don\u2019t try to open the pages’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The beginning: a torn suit, Rs 100 and a missed car<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The turning point: meeting Shashi Kapoor<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
5000 contenders, one role\u2014and a final \u2018yes\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
‘I owe my entire existence to Shashi Kapoor’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Working with Rekha: \u2018She helped me enormously\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n