‘She feared people were out to kill her’: Shekhar Suman recalls shifting an entire shoot location for Parveen Babi

Back in the late 1990s, Shekhar Suman’s popular talk show became known for its candid celebrity conversations and sharp humour. Among the many memorable moments from the show, one interview that continues to stand out is his rare interaction with the late actress Parveen Babi, who had largely stayed away from the spotlight during that period.During a recent podcast with The Free Press Journal, the actor and host revisited the unusual experience and shared how he ended up conducting what became one of Parveen Babi’s rare public interviews. Known for projects like ‘Utsav’ and ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’, Shekhar recalled that the actress agreed to speak to him through a mutual connection.Sharing details about the meeting, Shekhar revealed, “This was in 1999, when I was the only one she gave the interview to. We had a common life insurance agent who spoke to her about me. She then called me, and I invited her to be on the show, which she accepted.” However, things changed shortly before the shoot, as Parveen Babi reportedly became uncomfortable about travelling to the studio.According to Shekhar, the actress feared for her safety and refused to come to the set. Because of her concerns, the production team decided to conduct the interview outside the studio instead. “However, at the last minute, she said she couldn’t come to the studio to shoot, as she feared people were out to kill her,” he recalled. He also mentioned that this was the only occasion when he shifted an entire shoot location for an interview.The conversation itself left Shekhar deeply conflicted. During the interaction, Parveen Babi spoke about “certain individuals” from the film industry, and the actor admitted he did not know how to react. “When she was talking about ‘certain individuals’ in the film industry, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I was in a soup at that time,” he shared. Despite the tension, Shekhar described it as one of the most extraordinary interviews he had ever conducted.Apart from the serious conversation, the actor also remembered a lighter moment from the day. He revealed that Parveen Babi had prepared French onion soup for him and his crew during the meeting. “She had also made French onion soup for us, but I was a bit sceptical about tasting it because of the things I had heard about her. I only tried it after my unit people had tasted it!” he said.Shekhar Suman was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Heeramandi’, where he shared screen space with Manisha Koirala. The actor is now making a strong return to the talk show format with his newly launched chat show ‘Shekhar Tonite’, while also working on upcoming big-budget projects including Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘King’.