Veteran actress Aruna Irani recently spoke to
ETimes
, reminiscing about her experience working on the cult classic
Bombay To Goa
(1972), which completed 53 years on March 3. The film, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and was produced by comedian
Mehmood
, remains a fan favorite. Aruna, who played the female lead, shared fascinating insights about the shoot, her co-stars, and how the film impacted her career.
Recalling her first memories of Bombay To Goa, Aruna Irani spoke fondly about Amitabh Bachchan, who was still a newcomer at the time. “Amit Ji was a good actor. But I was doing my first film as a heroine, so I was nervous. Our song became a hit, but shooting on big rocks in the heat of May was very difficult. Our feet would burn,” she recalled.
She also shared how both she and Amitabh struggled with dancing. “Both of us were new. Amit Ji didn’t quite know how to dance, lekin aaj bilkul paagal kar dete hain (but now he drives people crazy with his dance). I wasn’t a good dancer either, so we used to help each other. Raj Masterji (the choreographer) would get angry at us.”
Unlike today’s well-equipped film sets, actors in the early 70s had to work in challenging conditions. Vanity vans didn’t exist, so Aruna and her co-stars would take shelter under trees between shots. “We would rest under the trees. Also, we’d change costumes behind the trees. Dress men or hairdressers would hold a sheet around us so that we could change,” she revealed.
Aruna Irani: Mehmood made my career and he was also responsible for my downfall
Despite these hardships, the actress described the Bombay To Goa shoot as a “picnic.” However, Amitabh’s struggle with dance initially caused some setbacks. “Amit Ji was not able to dance at all. The first day of shooting had to be canceled. But later, he did so well, and the song Dekha Na Haye Re Socha Na became so popular.”
As an actor-producer, Mehmood had a strong presence on the set. Aruna acknowledged his immense contribution, not just as a performer but also as a mentor. “Of course, he was a big help for everybody. He was such a senior actor. We used to call him Guru. He made me understand the timing of comedy. The dialogue shouldn’t overlap. You need to get the timing right. He taught me that.”
She also praised the supporting cast, saying, “You can never forget the characters played by Lalita Pawar, Keshto Mukherjee, and the boy who played the character who asks his parents for ‘pakoda’.”
Surprisingly, despite the success of Bombay To Goa, Aruna Irani revealed that it didn’t have a major impact on her career. “No, it didn’t change my life. I also did Caravan around that time. Both roles were polar opposites to each other. But despite that, I didn’t get to work. I don’t know what happened. People never approached me,” she admitted.
After waiting for three years with limited work, Aruna decided to shift gears. “I forgot my heroine dream and started doing roles that came to me and seemed right for me to do. Life goes on. It’s a roller-coaster.”
