Reena Roy: Waited outside Rajesh Khanna's house as a school girl

Before she became one of the highest paid heroines of the 1970s and 80s Reena Roy says she was a typical starstruck teenager who would lineup outside Rajesh Khannarsquos house to catch a glimpse of the superstar or visit the theatre to watch Jeetendrarsquos films She later worked with both Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra forming one of the most successful on screen pairings in Hindi cinemaThe actor who turns 66 on Saturday said she was a sensitive child who would cry at the drop of a hat when she saw her favourite stars facing injustice ldquoI would wait outside Rajesh jirsquos house after school to catch a glimpse of him I would dance to the songs of Rajesh Khannarsquos films and would cry and get upset when injustice was meted out to him My mother felt so bad that she stopped taking me to moviesrdquo Roy told PTI in an interviewShe starred opposite Khanna one of the most popular superstars Hindi cinema ever produced in ldquoDhanwanrdquo ldquoAsha Jyotirdquo and ldquoDharam Khantardquo among others With Jeetendra she delivered 12 superhits most memorable being ldquoNaginrdquo Roy said she went blank when she met Jeetendra for the first time at the shooting of their film Jaise Ko TaisaldquoI was shocked when Jeetendra ji came in front of me I was like is this real I was blank He made me feel comfortable as we started shooting and we ended up having great rapport Our first film together was lsquoJaise Ko Taisarsquo and that was a superhit movie lsquoNaginrsquo and almost every film of mine with him was superhitrdquo Roy said The duo also worked on films such as ldquoUmar Qaidrdquo ldquoUdhar Ka Sindoorrdquo ldquoApnapanrdquo ldquoJeo or Jeene dordquo ldquoZamanatrdquo ldquoArpanrdquo and ldquoPrem Tapasyardquo Roy said Jeetendra has become a family thanks to their multiple on screen collaborations He remembers him as being a health freak on movie setsldquoOver the period of years we became like family Jeetu ji is very punctual He was very protective towards me He would say eat limited food do exercise He was a health freak We would not eat sweets in front of him but we would do that quietly in the makeup roomrdquo Making movies was not as systematic as it is today with actors working in multiple shifts on different projects Roy said there never was enough time to rehearse lines or steps so one had to be quickldquoWe would never get the script in advance we would get the lines on sets and Jeetu ji would suggest some changes sometimes We would not rehearse a lot as we both would immediately pick up the dance steps I used to do three shifts a day still my focus was to always to give my bestrdquo From Rajesh Khanna to Sunil Dutt to Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha Roy worked with top stars of the industry at the peak of her career and looking back the actor said she feels ldquocontentrdquo with her journey in cinemaldquoI had a great working relation with everyone as I was bubbly and talkative There were no ego issues I am content and happy with my journey in the film industryrdquo Roy dropped out of school to pursue acting and remembers how Nargis Dutt first spotted her for a film though the project fell throughldquoWithout any struggle I was selected by Nargis ji for a film while I was playing on the road I feel I am blessed They were planning to make a film for their home production after lsquoReshma Aur Sherarsquo but then Nargis ji and Sunil Dutt ji recommended me for lsquoZakhmeersquordquo Roy finally made her debut with ldquoZarooratrdquo by BR Ishara who had first offered her a role in ldquoNayi Duniya Naye Logrdquo but the film was shelvedBecoming on of the highest paid heroines of her time Roy said was a result of her continous hardwork and commitment to films ldquoI was dedicated sincere and punctual about my work If I had committed my dates for a film I would follow it to the T Even if it rained heavily or I was unwell I would make sure that I was on sets to finish my workI was always a focused girl My day would start at 5 am and end at 910 pm and I would get only Sundays off The audience loved me and my films It is all due to destiny that I got so much love and was treated well by the industry she said The actor took a break from the movies after her marriage with Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan in 1983 As she returned to India in 1992 after her divorce she made a comeback in Hindi films with ldquoAadmi Khilona Hairdquo alongside JeetendraShe also featured in ldquoAjayrdquo starring Sunny Deol Ajay Devgnrsquos ldquoGairrdquo and ldquoRefugeerdquo which marked the debut of Abhishek Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor Khan Roy has been away from work for more than two decades but she is in a happy space Her focus is to spend time with her daughter However if an interesting offer comes she wouldnrsquot mind acting againldquoWhen you work so hard for years you feel content you feel grateful to God for everything I have a responsibility towards my daughter and I like to spend time with her I donrsquot have any sad feeling that I am not working in films I will work if I get a good role I donrsquot mind working as today there are some really good subjects besides the usual songanddance things she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever