Rajiv Rai may have directed only a few films, but he is best known for ‘Gupt: The Hidden Truth’ (1997), which featured Bobby Deol, Kajol, and Manisha Koirala. The thriller made such a mark that many viewers have overlooked his other work, including his second directorial outing, ‘Tridev’ (1989), led by Naseeruddin Shah. Still, the film’s music remains memorable.

Naseeruddin Shah was uneasy romancing Sonam in Tridev

In a recent interview, Rajiv recalled the making of the film and shared that Naseeruddin was uneasy about shooting the sensual track ‘Tirchi Topiwale’ and romancing the much younger Sonam. The actor even pointed out to the director that Sonam was younger than his own daughter, Heeba Shah.Naseeruddin Shah was nervous about the song, since dancing was never his forte, Rajiv Rai said while speaking to Vickey Lalwani. The director recalled how he tried to put the actor at ease: “Everyone knows that Naseer ji isn’t a dance expert. So, he was feeling a bit shy. He said, ‘How will I dance? What will happen? I have never done a song like this.’ I told him, ‘You are such a good actor; don’t think of this as dance. Think of it as acting. And whatever the steps are, adapt them according to your acting. Don’t take too much burden in your mind; don’t look at it as 1-2-3-4 steps.’ He asked me if I was sure, and I said yes.”

Naseeruddin Shah told Rajiv Rai about his daughter being older than Sonam

After their conversation, Naseeruddin Shah reportedly felt at ease, realising the song was not such a big deal. Asked whether the veteran actor was bothered by the age gap between him and Sonam, Rajiv Rai said: “No. What happened was… One day, when I was discussing the script with Naseer, he just mentioned, ‘I want to bring to your notice that I have a daughter from my first marriage who is older than Sonam. Does it matter to you?’ I replied, ‘Why should it matter to me? As a couple, you two look fine. You could even have 10 children [and it won’t matter]. This is cinema; we are not doing a realistic documentary.’ Then he said, ‘No, it’s my duty to tell you.’ He’s a very honest man.”Rajiv Rai also spoke about how Sonam felt when the age difference came up. He said: “I told her I was informed about this and asked if she would be comfortable. She said, ‘Why would I care? I’m dying to work with Naseeruddin because he is one of the best actors we have. Please don’t change my casting.’ She was very excited to work opposite him.”

Tridev cast: Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit and more

Alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Sonam, ‘Tridev’ also featured Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Sangeeta Bijlani, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri.