When Amrish Puri slapped Smita Patil during the shooting of Shyam Benegal’s ‘Bhumika’

Veteran actor Amrish Puri once revealed that he unexpectedly slapped Smita Patil during a scene in Bhumika to capture a genuine reaction. Director Shyam Benegal approved the idea, resulting in a memorable and authentic cinematic moment

Mumbai: Legendary actors Amrish Puri and Smita Patil gave memorable performances in filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s “Bhumika”. However, did you know that in one of the scenes from the film, Amrish Puri actually slapped Smita Patil, that too without her knowing, catching her completely off guard.

During his appearance on the beloved talk show, “Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai,” Amrish Puri shared the incident, saying, “In the scene, I stop her from going outside, and she talks back to me. Unable to take this, I had to get up and slap her.”

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He revealed that he asked director Shyam Benegal, “Sir, what if I actually slap her?” The filmmaker agreed to the idea immediately, and when Amrish Puri slapped Smita Patil during the scene, her reaction was absolutely organic. “That reaction has to be seen in the film. That is a natural reaction”, Amrish Puri had said.

Directed by Shyam Benegal, “Bhumika” features Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Anant Nag, Naseeruddin Shah, and Amrish Puri in pivotal roles, along with others. The movie is a cinematic adaptation of the Marathi memoirs, “Sangtye Aika” of the well-known Marathi stage and screen actress of the 1940s, Hansa Wadkar.

Smita Patil gave a memorable performance, perfectly showcasing her character’s transformation from a vivacious teenager to a wiser but deeply wounded middle-aged woman. The project ended up bagging, not one but two National Film Awards. It was further invited to the Carthage Film Festival, Tunisia , in 1978, along with the Chicago Film Festival, where it was awarded the Golden Plaque in 1978, and also the 1986 Festival of Images in Algeria.

It might be interesting to know that Amrish Puri and Smita Patil have starred in 16 movies together. Their first collaboration was in 1975 with the movie “Nishaant”, and their last on-screen pairing was in 1988 in “Waarish”.