When late actress Seema Deo spoke about her struggle in the industry, working in Anand with Rajesh Khanna, bond with husband Ramesh Deo and more

Veteran actress Seema Deo had appeared on Doordarshan Sahyadri TV show many years ago as a guest. The actress, who preferred to stay away from the limelight for the past few decades, graced the show and poured her heart out about her experiences in the industry. She also reminisced about memories of working with Rajesh Khanna in Anand, her working style in the 1970s, the differences between Marathi and Hindi cinema, and more.

Talking about how she decided to enter the acting field, Seema had said, "I never thought about making my career in acting. I wanted to study. I had immense love for dance. People told my mother to enroll me in any film when I was 16. I went to the studio, and I passed the screentest. I was very thin and weighed only 80 pounds. I did not know anything about anything. I was living in a chawl at that time, and they told me that I would get Rs 30 for one play. I did not have any background. Nobody taught me or asked me to stay strong. I felt bad, but I had to."

"I never wanted my children to become actors. The situation in the industry was uncertain at that time. Ajinkya had acting in his blood, and he went to America. He then came back and chose this industry. Abhinay had an interest behind the camera, so he became director. I allowed them to choose their paths."

Seema revealed on the chat show that she played a blind woman at that time without lenses and she only blinked her eyes. She said, "My Guru was Rajabhua Paranjape. Nobody taught me acting. I did not know anything about acting. He also taught me how to use body language and words. We did not have money at that time to spend on lenses, and I had to play a blind woman. I would blink my eyes."

"I started working in the Hindi film industry before my marriage. After my marriage, I started working more in Marathi. I have worked with Sanjeev Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, Rekha, Balraj Sahni and more. I tried my best to work in the industry."

Talking about why she feels there is a need for remix songs in today's films, Seema said, "Today's audience has changed. I have played very gharelu, Sanskari, and simple woman on-screen, and nowadays there is fun and glamour in everything. It is a need of today's era. I think today people have so much worry to handle and face off, and that is why they decide to watch more funny and comedy content in films."

"I think it is not possible for me to reach the set in the morning and come home at night. It is not possible for me. I am not fit for TV shows. The shows go for 3-4 years, and I don't like to work in such a way."

"I don't think there is a difference. There is a difference in the atmosphere. In Marathi, I feel like it is my team, but this is just my feeling. Whenever you work in Hindi, people treat you well there as well. People treated me well in the Hindi film industry. I have worked in Vimal Roy's film Prempatra. He was a very calm and intelligent director. I really had a good experience with him."

Talking about her memories of the superhit Hindi film Anand with Rajesh Khanna, Seema said, "Rajesh Khanna would come on the set very late. So me and my husband Ramesh would often wait for him on the set. One day we were discussing something with each other in Marathi, and our director, Rishikesh Mukherjee, sir, heard it. He told us to talk to him in Marathi throughout the entire film. We said, 'Sir, but ye Hindi film hai', and he said, 'Toh kya hua beech beech mein bolenge Marathi ache se'. We got it agreed upon, and the movie became a superhit. I consider myself very blessed that I got a chance to work with superstar Rajesh Khanna and a newcomer of that time, who is my favorite star today, Amitabh Bachchan. It was a fortunate feeling for me. "

"I would never ask for scripts before doing the movies. Because in our era, there was nothing like asking for scripts and then making the decision to do the film or not. If I had done that, the makers would have thrown us out of the film. Nowadays, actors first see the script and then decide. I don't think it is necessary to see the script because it changes while shooting."

Seema shared the funny incident with her husband Ramesh Deo and said, "I played the on-screen daughter of my husband Ramesh Deo in the film Parchaya. I felt awkward. Ajinkya was born recently, and I called Ramesh 'Pappa' in the film, and people laughed out loud in the theater."